90 Day Cycles

I’m increasingly seeing 90 day cycles, or quarters of the year, as a primary tool for intentional living. You set up each 90 day period with a theme, like fitness or relationships. Then you choose some specific goals, like losing 5 pounds or improving one relationship. Finally, you choose some specific practices, like walking thirty minutes a day or reaching out every day.

What you come up for that 90 day period is kind of a distilled version of your best ideas on how to live at that moment in your life. It’s a guide to follow every day. You review the quarterly goals a few times a day, morning, mid-day, and evening. And you do a more thorough review weekly. Then at the end of the quarter, you zoom out even further and review the last quarter and set up the next.

This is a pretty simple structure. It is a simple structure that enables regularly setting goals and sticking to them. Just maintaining focus on a few goals and practices over an extended period of time is incredibly effective. Humans are very good at solving problems, if only they remain focused on them, and regularly reflect on how they’re doing.